"The first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind, is curiosity" (Edmund Burke)
It is an innate human trait to be curious particularly curious about other peoples' lives hence my new series of blogs entitled "What's it like to be ... ". And as I generally don't think it's fair to ask people questions I am not prepared to answer, I thought I'd go first with my own experience.
My Background
I was a corporate lawyer with over 10 years experience. Skip on five years, a pond crossing from Sydney to London and three children later, I am struggling to find a way back into the workforce in a 'suitable' role that I can live with as a mother. I want to explore a range of options before I reach a landing.
My head said
... get with the programme - get yourself up to speed.
When I surfaced from the haze of motherhood back into the real world I noticed that the digital age had forged ahead at breakneck speed - iPhones, Androids, iPads and Apps had left traditional platforms of print media, books, magazines and journals in its wake. The world had gone online in a big way and I felt slightly left behind. So I started a blog, and last week I started an online internship with a local lifestyle magazine for SW London and Surrey residents - Time and Leisure (who I also guest blog for).
My heart said
... pack your bags you're going on a guilt trip - what about the kids?
What to do with the kids for the next two months or so whilst I undertake this internship? Well, it's summer holidays so at least I don't have nursery runs but I do have pangs of guilt leaving them at home with the nanny. To be fair, we did just come back from a family holiday in the South of France and the office hours for my internship are flexible so it's not abandonment and I shouldn't feel weighed down with guilt but I do.
My job involves
... a whole bunch of stuff I have never done before and lingo that sounds at times like a foreign language. I feel like an old dog trying to learn new tricks as a grown-up intern but T&L make me feel very welcome and valued despite my inexperience. I am guided through how to research and prepare articles for their website, source images and upload magazine content online. There are weekly planning meetings to bounce ideas around for articles and I even get to write about topics I am genuinely interested in.
My highlights
.. I get to be around adults, wear office attire, flex my brain and challenge myself outside of my comfort zone. I also get to learn new skills in a publishing environment, meet loads of new people and have a hot cup of coffee at my desk without interruption from children. Seeing my articles with my name go live on the T&L website was secretly fun too.
My lowlights
.. being away from the kids for a couple of hours a day. In actual fact, this internship is really a gentle and soft re-entry into the workforce as the hours are flexible and I don't have to spend my whole time in the office. Hopefully it helps condition me to better cope when I am truly ready to return to full-time work at some point in the future.
My last word
.. it's natural to be fearful of the unknown but I'm better and happier for giving something new a go - and I'm a firm believer of happy mother means happy children.
